Wrench.



No. 643,632. Patented Feb. 20, I900.

A. J. COOPER.

W R E N C H lication filed Dec.

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25 Qua/49m Sum ma NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED J. COOPER, OF DURYEA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,632, dated February 20, 1900.

Application filed December 13, 1899. Serial No, 740,197. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. COOPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Duryea, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches, and while the invention is more especially applicable to wrenches such as are designed for gripping and rotating pipes or other circular or hexagonal bodies it may also be applied to great advantage to wrenches designed for turning nuts or similar devices.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong, and convenient wrench in which the jaws may be adjusted toward and from each other with the greatest convenience and which provides for a su fficient independent movement of one jaw in gripping to insure a firm hold even on a cylindrical body.

The invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be now de scribed, and the particular features .of novelty pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a Wrench constructed in accordance with my present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is a slightly-modified form of wrench. Fig. 4 is amodification of the holding-tooth and fixed jaw.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the letter A indicates the handle of the Wrench, preferably formed up of sheet metal and having at the outer end a longitudinal concavity a, in which the shank of the movable jaw slides, as will be presently described. In forming this'handle portion and the stationary jaw sheet-steel is pressed up into shape and at the extremity formed with laterallyprojecting substantially-parallel cheek-pieces A, which may constitute the fixed jaw, but preferably confine between them a block 0, of steel, which may be toothed, as indicated,

able jaw from the handle.

and constitute the fixed jaw. This block is also preferably formed on its lower edge with a tooth or holding projection 0, extending in toward the concavity in the handle.

The movablejawD is provided with a shank (Z, adapted to slide longitudinally in the con cavity a, and on its outer face said shank is provided with holding-teeth d, adapted to cooperate with the holding-tooth c on the fixed jaw. To maintain the engagement of the rack or ratchet-teeth d and the fixed tooth, a spring is provided for pressing the inner end of the shank d outwardly, said spring in the preferred form being a coilspring E, located in a concavity e in the shank. A friction pin or button F is pressed outwardly by the spring, so as to raise the in ner end of the shank. The concavity 6 may be formed through the shank, and in its upper end it may receive a set-screw or stop G for preventing the entire escape of the mov- This set-screw may also constitute a thumb-piece by means of which the shank may be depressed and the movable jaw shifted in or out to adjust the size of the opening between the jaws.

The shank of the movable jaw, it will be noted, has sufficient transverse play in the socket of the fixed jaw to allow the teeth to be readily disengaged, and by reason of such play and the fact that the spring is at the inner end of the shank said movable jaw, when the wrench is applied to an object for gripping the same, will pivot on the holdingtooth and advancing very slightly will pinch the object between its toothed inner surface and the fixed jaw, giving a very firm and secure grip. In fact, where the wrench is used as a pipe-Wrench such pivotal or wedging action will cause the teeth to seat in the surface of the pipe and overcome any tendency to slip.

Where the wrench is designed, primarily, as a pipe-wrench, it is preferred to arrange the jaws with their proximate faces slightly diverging, so as to accommodate pipes of slightly-different diameter with the same ad justment, or to insure a seating of the pipe firmly within the jaws before pressure is applied to the handle; but it is obvious that such jaws may be made straight and designed for handling nuts or bodies having straight parallel surfaces without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Vhile in the preferred construction the handle is formed up of sheet metal and its fixed jaw and holding-tooth are formed in a single integral block and held in place by rivets or similar fastenings, yet in some instances it may be preferred to form the bandle and fixed jaw in one integral piece, as by casting or drop -forging, and in Fig. 3 I have illustrated a wrench thus formed. \Vhere so formed, it is preferable to provide a holding-tooth of steel formed separate from the handle or fixed jaw and attached thereto by screws or other fastening, as shown at I and K in said Fig. 3.

If desired, a wedge-shaped recess maybe formed in the fixed jaw for the reception of a fixed tooth M, as shown in Fig. 4, and it will be understood that while these modifications are obvious and within the present invention I have illustrated them simply as alternative forms and do not wish to be limited thereto or to any particular specific form of fixed jaw and holding-tooth or to the specific formation of the handle portion of the wrench.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a wrench such as herein described, the combination with the handle having a longitudinal socket formed in and rigid with its outer end, and the fixed jaw at the extremity of and out of alinement with the handle, of a holding-tooth at the inner side of the fixed jaw adjacent the handle and a movable jaw having a shank sliding in said socket longitudinally of the handle and holding-teeth on the outer edge of said shank adapted to cooperate with the fixed tooth at the inner side of the fixed jaw; substantially as de-' scribed.

2. In a wrench such as described, the combination with the handle portion, having the longitudinallyextending socket formed in and rigid with its outer end, a fixed jaw at the extremity of the handle portion, and overlying the socket at one side of the handle, and a fixed tooth adjacent and projecting inwardly toward said socket at the inner side of the fixed jaw, of a movable jaw having a shank sliding in said longitudinal socket in the handle portion, a series of teeth on the edge of the shank from which the jaw projects adapted to cooperate with the fixed tooth, the shank and socket being of such relative sizes as to permit of a slight pivotal movement of the shank on the fixed tooth and a spring for raising the inner end of the shank; substantially as described.

3. In a wrench, the combination with the handle portion, having a longitudinal socket therein opened out at the end of and in line with the handle portion, a fixed jaw carried by and rigid with said handle portion at one side of and overlying the socket, a fixed tooth connected with said fixed jaw at its inner side and projecting toward said socket, of a movable jaw having a shank sliding longitudinally in said socket in line with the handle and capable of a slight transverse movement therein, a series of teeth on said shank on the side from which the jaw projects adapted to cooperate with the fixed tooth, a spring for raising the inner end of the shank and a stop on said shank for preventing its escape from the handle portion; substantially as described.

4. In a wrench, the combination with the handle portion, struck up from sheet metal, with a longitudinal socket therein in line with the handle portion, and transversely-extending cheek-pieces at the extremity of said socket portion, and a fixed jaw confined between said cheek-pieces out of line with the handle and having a tooth projecting toward said socket at its inner side, of a movable jaw, a shank for the movable jaw sliding in said socket in line with the handle and having a slight transverse movement therein, a series of teeth on the face of said shank from which the jaw projects adapted to cooperate with the fixed tooth, a spring for raising the inner end of the shank to secure the engagement of the teeth and means for preventing the escape of the movable jaw; substantially 

